St Johns Review Newspaper

02/05/2026

Event Alert!
📸 Vintage Photographs by Hans Hickerson ​
🗓 Date & Time: Saturday, February 7, 5 - 8 p.m. ​
📍 Venue: Franklin FOTO, 8953 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203 ​
🎟 Cost: Free and open to the public ​
⏰ Venue Hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. ​
Join us in celebrating community through photography!

02/04/2026

University of Portland Selected as a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Students

01/31/2026

📰 Right in the Eye – PORTLAND, OR - 02/16

The press release announces the ninth tour of the live movie-concert "Right in the Eye," inspired by Georges Méliès' films, which will take place at the Clinton Street Theater in Portland, Oregon, on February 16, 2026, at 7 PM. This performance is open to all audiences and lasts for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

01/28/2026

As we close our New Year’s 2026 reflections, we wish you happiness and prosperity. Winter is here—bundle up, and reflect on what prosperity means to you. One plan for prosperity is caring for your living space—big or small. Make repairs, refresh with paint, improve outdoor spaces, plant a tree, grow a garden, and beautify. Happiness will follow. Visit St. Johns Ace Hardware and other local shops for everything you need. Ace is the place with the helpful hardware plan!

01/21/2026

As we celebrate New Year’s 2026, we thank the local businesses that have supported The St. Johns Review for generations—like Crochley Plumbing, founded in 1907 and advertising with us for over 100 years. We’re upgrading our systems to deliver better service, stronger advertising, and expanded digital options with real metrics, while keeping the paper free. Pricing to fit every budget—it’s the best deal around. Get in the pipeline: [email protected]

01/20/2026

Multi-Million Dollar Lilly Endowment Grant to Amplify University of Portland ‘Stories of Hope’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND, OR — “Hope”—the first word in the University of Portland (UP) Strategic Plan and the anchor of its mission and values—just became the focus of a four-year story campaign.
Lilly Endowment Inc., through its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life, recently awarded the University a grant of more than $2.86 million, one of the largest private foundation grants in school history, to fund a project called Hope Works: Stories from The Bluff, Portland, and Beyond.

UP was one of 48 organizations across the U.S. to receive grant funding from this Lilly Endowment Inc. initiative in 2025. The initiative aims to help organizations identify, produce, and share with a wide variety of audiences compelling stories that portray the vibrancy and hope of Christian faith and life.

Buttressed by UP’s Strategic Plan, Hope, Renewal, Transformation, the Hope Works project will produce authentic storytelling via print, video, and in-person events to share content rooted in the University’s Catholic, Holy Cross charism.

The school’s award-winning alumni magazine, Portland, will serve as the editorial anchor for the Hope Works project. Magazine editor and director of storytelling Jessica Murphy Moo and UP’s Hope Works Team look forward to engaging with Gen Z audiences “living lives of active hope” through the storytelling campaign.

“Being a part of Lilly Endowment’s National Christian Storytelling Initiative is an immense honor and gift,” said Murphy Moo. “We have a longstanding tradition here at UP and Portland magazine of seeing stories as sacred engines of connection. This grant, along with the Holy Cross order’s charism of being ‘people with hope to bring,’ is really going to allow our team to usher more stories of faith and hope out into the world.”

After an initial planning phase, UP and its storytellers will begin publishing Hope Works stories and short-form videos in the fall of 2026. The campaign, which runs through the spring of 2029, will feature one in-person storytelling event each year to portray Christian faith, life, and hope in action.

“At University of Portland, we hold firm to the belief that our world needs more hope,” said University President Robert D. Kelly. “This generous funding will empower us to bring our quintessential UP hope to audiences far beyond our beautiful campus on The Bluff. I express our community’s deep gratitude to the Lilly Endowment for their belief in our mission, our capacity for storytelling, and, most of all, our hope.”

January 8, 2026
Contact: Dan Christopherson Director of Public Affairs [email protected] 503-943-8223

01/19/2026

Happy Martin Luther King Day! We hope it was a day of reflection and service.

Post your thoughts here about how you spent the day, if you participated in a special event like the Solve Cleanup, attended an event to commemorate the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, or just spent the day reflecting on the good life he made possible for all of us. Here is his I Have a Dream speech from August 28, 1963, courtesy of Rare Facts and YouTube.com. Be inspired.

https://youtu.be/vP4iY1TtS3s?si=UrTSClnefVxKEBXW

I Have a Dream" is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Fr...

01/19/2026

Happening Friday, March 6, from 5 to 9 pm, at 322 SE Morrison St. Bumble at Rumble in the Jumble.

First Friday in PDX means it's time to gather together with your people to celebrate art & creativity. And that's what we'll be doing at Ambient Magic Art Studios @ 322 SE Morrison St from 5-10pm on match 6th at the Junk Drawer Art Bazaar!

This studio pop-up will showcase 15+ artists & artisans featuring unique upcycled creations galore. Live music & tasty beverages will accompany you as you get to know the creators and pick up a few lovingly handmade items.

Don't forget to bring your second hand arts & crafts supplies for the art supply swap table... dump your discards and take some treasures!

See you under the Morrison Bridge at Ambient Magic Studios on Mar 6th!

01/14/2026

As we continue to celebrate New Year’s 2026, we give thanks to this community for 122 years of readership and support of The St. Johns Review. Listed in the Library of Congress, this longtime community institution will return this spring to share the good things happening right here—just as it has since 1904. We’re here to bring more happiness and hope for the future. Ask and you shall receive. Give, and it will be given unto you.

01/12/2026

Portland, Ore., January 12, 2026 – SOLVE is partnering with Mike Bennett Studios to bring together environmental service, art, and community connection during a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day cleanup and creative gathering at Irving Park.

Taking place on Monday, January 19, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Cleanup invites community members to care for Irving Park through litter removal, followed by a creative community connection hosted by Mike Bennett Studios. From 10 am and 12 pm, volunteers of all ages will come together to remove litter and recyclables from Irving Park and nearby streets, helping keep this neighborhood welcoming while preventing waste from entering our waterways. Cleanup supplies will be provided, and all ages are welcome.



Following the cleanup, participants and neighbors are invited to cross the street to Mike Bennett Studios for a family-friendly community gathering celebrating service, creativity, and connection. The gathering will feature SOLVE-themed coloring sheets, warm drinks, snacks, and conversation, along with an exclusive sneak peek of the first unreleased episode of the Zooquarium Podcast and Q&A with Mike Bennett and co-host Chanel Hason.



“This collaboration is about more than a cleanup,” said Kris Carico, CEO of SOLVE. “It’s about creating spaces where people come together across backgrounds to care for shared places, connect through creativity, and celebrate community, values that align deeply with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.”



Mike Bennett, Portland-based artist and founder of Mike Bennett Studios, added that partnering with SOLVE felt like a natural fit. “Art, community, and care for place are all connected. We’re excited to open our space as part of this day and celebrate the people who show up for their neighborhood.”



Event Details

What: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Cleanup & Community Gathering
When: Monday, January 19, 2026
Where: Irving Park & Mike Bennett Studios
Who: Hosted by SOLVE in collaboration with Mike Bennett Studios
Highlights:
Community cleanup (10 am – 12 pm)
Creative gathering and Zooquarium Podcast release party (11 am – 4 pm)
Registration: volunteer.solveoregon.org
The cleanup and community gathering offer a meaningful way to honor Dr. King’s legacy through hands-on service and shared creative experiences. SOLVE’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2026 is presented by Kaiser Permanente, and part of SOLVE’s broader effort to support community-led service projects across Oregon and Southwest Washington. The event is free and open to the public.



For more information about the event and to register, visit solveoregon.org/mlk.



About SOLVE

SOLVE brings communities together to take care of our environment and enhance our waterways. Since 1969, the organization has grown from a small, grassroots initiative to a national model of volunteer action. Today, SOLVE mobilizes and trains thousands of volunteers of all ages across Oregon, and SW Washington, to clean and restore our neighborhoods and natural areas, while empowering a community of environmental stewards for our state. Learn more at solveoregon.org.



About Mike Bennett
Mike Bennett is a Portland-based cartoonist and public joy creator who turns his imagination into real-life experiences. A former preschool teacher, he combines his love of art and education to create immersive installations and experiences where curiosity takes center stage.



The Zooquarium Podcast is a new educational podcast for curious kids of all ages who love animals. In each episode, friends from the community ask questions about animals, which are explored alongside invited scientists and artists. Co-hosted by Mike Bennett and Chanel Hason, the podcast blends curiosity, science, and creativity to make learning about the natural world accessible and engaging for all ages. Learn more at mikebennettstudios.com.

Contact Info:

Stefanie Wich-Herrlein (she/her)
Senior Communications Manager | SOLVE

Portland, OR | Direct: 971.319.4503 | Main: 503.844.9571

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01/08/2026

Visit the Black History 101 Mobile Museum this month. Presentations from 4- 5 PM.

Midland Library
805 SE 122nd Ave, Portland, OR 97233
Friday, Jan. 9, 2026
12 PM - 5 PM

North Portland Library
512 N Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97217
Friday, Jan. 16, 2026
12 PM - 5 PM

01/07/2026

SWING TOMORROW! THE SNUG 6806 NE BROADWAY